own (up)

as in to confess
to make an acknowledgment of something unpleasant as true or valid had a strong suspicion about which coworker stole her food from the office fridge, but the likely culprit refused to own up

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for own (up)
Verb
  • Eddie Cicotte Another member of the disgraced 1919 White Sox, Cicotte confessed to participating in the scheme to fix the World Series.
    Matt Moret, New York Times, 14 May 2025
  • In 1989, Erik confessed to his psychologist, whose mistress later reported it to the police.
    Emily Blackwood, People.com, 14 May 2025
Verb
  • This marks the second time within four weeks that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, responding to the Herald’s questions, admitted that the body cam footage from two officers watching over boat operator George Pino was deleted.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 9 May 2025
  • The outlet asked if the screening process had changed over the years, and Cohen admitted that the network was stricter on their background checks.
    Esther Kang, People.com, 9 May 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Own (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/own%20%28up%29. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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